Lunch and Tomatoes
by DigiExpert
Summary: A lunch on the lawn provides insight into a more serious event. Confessions correct misunderstandings, and mends a broken part. And somehow Natsuki always ends up turning as red as a tomato.


**This is my first time doing a Mai-HiME fic of any kind. Thanks to some spare cash, I bought and watched the series over the weekend. I've not seen the other series yet, but will soon. I wrote this fic after discussion with a close friend and it's entirely dedicated to her. I had wanted to write her a Christmas fanfic, but I couldn't think of any good ideas. This idea came about this morning, and I went with it. Since it's my first time, I'm still unsure of my confidence, so constructive criticism is welcome.**

She looked over at her companion, who was staring off into the distance, eyes focused on something unseen. A hint of a frown was on the girl's face, as she repositioned her legs, pulling them up. One arm rested across her knees, but the other was to her side, used to hold her body up.

Shizuru sighed. It had been her idea to ask Natsuki to join her for a lunch on the lawn, but now she wasn't sure it was a good idea. She was used to the girl being quiet, and she had been even more quiet, it seemed, since the festival had ended. At least, she had been quiet around others. The emotional stress had worn on them all, and she had to admit that she too was uncomfortable with the guilt that settled beneath the surface in her chest.

Her eyes roamed across the campus in front of them, still in various states of repair. It would be some time before things returned to normal, before all the students returned. She sipped her tea, letting her mind wander still. And yet, her companion was still silent. She glanced over, and offered a smile, but only received a sigh as emerald eyes drifted back toward the sky. She glanced down and noticed that Natsuki's hand still rested in the grass. Shizuru reached out tentatively to touch it.

Natsuki recoiled her hand quickly, as though burned by the touch. She looked over, only to find shock and a bit of sadness on Shizuru's face. It was not the sort of look she wanted to see, and she knew she had been the cause. She didn't know what to say, and so said nothing. She watched as Shizuru sipped her tea and looked away.

"I didn't do what you think I did," she mentioned softly. "I never touched you like that. I'm not sure where you got the idea that I did."

"How did you know I was thinking that?" Natsuki tried to mask her surprise by turning her head, hoping that Shizuru wouldn't see.

"You were ranting in the Student Council Room a few days ago. The walls aren't as soundproof as you might think."

Natsuki flushed a deep red. That hadn't been a very good day to begin with and she'd gone to the Student Council Room when she had known everyone else would be at lunch. What had started as mumbling to herself had turned into talking to some invisible spectator, and she had said more than she should have, her passion getting the best of her. "I didn't…no one was around…" She stuttered over her explanation. If Shizuru had heard her rant, who else had heard? Her face became redder at the thought as prospects ran through her mind.

"I want to know why you think that way, Natsuki." Shizuru smiled gently, taking another sip of tea.

This made Natsuki more embarrassed. She didn't have a solid reason for her statements. She had been asleep that night, and she had been asleep when Shizuru was supposed to have kissed her. It was Haruka's fault. She planted the seeds of doubt, and Natsuki let the thoughts grow in her mind until it had become what it was. "I don't know. It was because of what Haruka said that night. I jumped to conclusions and just…" She didn't know how to finish the statement.

"Just what?"

"Acted stupid." By now she couldn't even look at Shizuru. It all seemed silly to say it out loud now that she'd had some time to think it over. It was hard to admit that she'd made a mistake and was the one to blame. She didn't hear another word from Shizuru, only the calm sound of one sipping tea.

"Do you think I would do that?"

Her face felt warm now. It had been a question she'd been considering, but had no answer for. She realized now that the reason she might not have an answer was because the only answer was no. Shizuru cared for her, and loved her, but wouldn't have crossed that line. It wouldn't have been like her. She had only wanted to tend to her injuries and pull her away from the battles for awhile. "No," was the terse reply, though not to Shizuru's face, ad uttered just above a whisper level.

Once more she felt Shizuru's hand touch her own, and this time she didn't pull away. Shizuru's hand was warm. Natsuki turned her head to look at the other girl finally. Shizuru smiled softly. "Thank you for trusting me." Shizuru leaned in closer, and Natsuki felt sure that she was going to kiss her. She couldn't believe that Shizuru would try something so soon after what they'd just—

But Shizuru merely kissed Natsuki's forehead, squeezing her hand as she did so. Natsuki felt foolish once again. Once more she'd let her mind run away with her common sense, and thought of things that weren't or hadn't happened.

"You thought I was going to kiss your lips." Shizuru voiced her thoughts again.

"N-nooo…."

"You're lying," replied Shizuru, chuckling.

Natsuki knew it was foolish to try and worm her way out of admitting the truth. She groaned and looked away. She felt Shizuru let go of her hand, and that caused her to whip her head back around. She noticed Shizuru had stood and was brushing the grass and bits of dirt from her skirt.

"H-hey! I'm sorry!"

Surprised, Shizuru looked down at her. "Hmm?"

"For the way I've acted. Isn't that why you're leaving?"

"No. The Student Council is meeting before class and I should be there. I'm running late already."

"I..Oh." It must be "Natsuki Must Feel Foolish Day" because her face felt warm once more. Shizuru apparently found this funny as well, though she tried to politely hide her laughter behind her hand. "Do you want me to walk you there?"

"I'll be fine. It seems that our lunch has made you into a tomato for the rest of the afternoon. I think you might need some time alone to recuperate." She turned and strolled toward the entrance.

Natsuki crossed her arms as she watched the girl leave. "I am _not_ a tomato," she huffed.


End file.
